Open AccessEducation mitigates age‐related decline in N‐Acetylaspartate levels
Author(s) -
Erickson Kirk I.,
Leckie Regina L.,
Weinstein Andrea M.,
Radchenkova Polina,
Sutton Bradley P.,
Prakash Ruchika Shaurya,
Voss Michelle W.,
ChaddockHeyman Laura,
McAuley Edward,
Kramer Arthur F.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
brain and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 41
ISSN - 2162-3279
DOI - 10.1002/brb3.311
Subject(s) - cognitive reserve , memory span , neurocognitive , cognitive decline , psychology , young adult , gerontology , analysis of variance , cognitive flexibility , ageing , educational attainment , cognition , medicine , effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance , working memory , audiology , neuroscience , dementia , cognitive impairment , disease , economics , economic growth
Background Greater educational attainment is associated with better neurocognitive health in older adults and is thought to reflect a measure of cognitive reserve. In vivo neuroimaging tools have begun to identify the brain systems and networks potentially responsible for reserve. Methods We examined the relationship between education, a commonly used proxy for cognitive reserve, and N‐acetylaspartate ( NAA ) in neurologically healthy older adults ( N = 135; mean age = 66 years). Using single voxel MR spectroscopy, we predicted that higher levels of education would moderate an age‐related decline in NAA in the frontal cortex. Results After controlling for the variance associated with cardiorespiratory fitness, sex, annual income, and creatine levels, there were no significant main effects of education (B = 0.016, P = 0.787) or age (B = −0.058, P = 0.204) on NAA levels. However, consistent with our predictions, there was a significant education X age interaction such that more years of education offset an age‐related decline in NAA (B = 0.025, P = 0.031). When examining working memory via the backwards digit span task, longer span length was associated with greater education ( P < 0.01) and showed a trend with greater NAA concentrations ( P < 0.06); however, there was no age X education interaction on digit span performance nor a significant moderated mediation effect between age, education, and NAA on digit span performance. Conclusions Taken together, these results suggest that higher levels of education may attenuate an age‐related reduction in neuronal viability in the frontal cortex.